Sunday comfort

The most decedent of all pasta dishes has to be those swathed in lucious creamy sauces, such as the velvety pear and Gorgonzola tortellini I had in Florence which was soft and luxurious. 

The most comforting of the creamy pasta dishes has to be Macaroni Cheese, made famous by the Americans and beloved all over the globe. 

Today, it's Sunday, I'm tired and it's raining, so good old mac n'cheese is the only thing which will sate me whilst I snuggle on the sofa with a blanket and a movie. This one has a Spanish twist with the addition of fiery chorizo sausage. 

Ingredients (serves 6)

Sauce: 2tbsp plain flour, 1.5 pint milk, 1/2 grated nutmeg, 2 cubic inch grated strong cheddar and 2 cubic inch Red Leicester cheese, 1/2tsp garlic powder, 1/2tsp chilli seeds, 2tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. 

Macaroni pasta (per pack instructions for 6 people) cooked in boiling water until tender. 1 ring of chorizo sausage cut in to pieces. 

Topping: 2 slices white bread finely chopped or processed to crumbs, 1tsp thyme, 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese. 

Heat the olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat, add the flour, stir to a paste and cook for a few seconds. Very gradually add the milk bit by bit, stirring after each addition until the lumps have gone. Keep stirring once all the milk is combined until it comes to a simmer, and cook for a further minute. 

Add the nutmeg, garlic, chilli and cheeses and stir until the cheese melts. Take off the heat and season to taste.

Cook the chorizo in a frying pan until golden and it has released some of it's red fats in to the pan. 

Tip the cooked macaroni in to a deep oven proof dish, pour over the sauce and the chorizo and pan juices and gently stir through. 

Mix the breadcrumbs, cheese and thyme together and sprinkle on top of the pasta. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling.